Sunday 30 October 2016

The Walking Dead: All Out War

I wasn't planning on doing a post today, but then the postman arrived with a rather splendid box of plastic goodness!  Mantic's, The Walking Dead: All Out War was yet another Kickstarter and one that proved too irritable to resist.  As huge fan of the television programme, I have recently been enjoying the comics and when it was announced that antic had secured the rights to the comic book franchise, I knew this was going to a 'must have'.
Having backed Mantic's Mars Attacks, I was more than a little worried about the miniatures themselves and what they would be made of.  These worries soon evaporated when I exposed the first tier of the special Kickstarter edition box to reveal really good, hard plastic sculpts - phew! 
The second tier contained the cards, dice, some rather lovely vehicles and useful terrain pieces.  There was a handy, almost idiot proof, tutorial which I have run through this afternoon and I am confident that I should be able to get the hang of it.  There would appear to be plenty of scope for using it as a solo play venture, but I imagine the real fun would be playing one faction off against another in a two or more player game.  I like the threat level indicator that slowly rises through each turn making life that little be more difficult for the survivors, not unlike the experience bar in Zombicide.  Another thing to take into account is the outnumbering mechanic for the Walkers, which sees the dice they use for melee multiple alarmingly as their numbers rise - avoid being  swamped at all costs!
The sculpts themselves are pretty good and those who have enjoyed the comic books will really get a kick out of seeing the characters transferred from the page to the table.  So my first thoughts are positive, I'm not sure that it will replace the playability of Zombicide, but it seems to want to bridge a gap between wargame and boardgame and as such could be really enjoyable.  I have no doubt that those who play 7ombieTV or ATZ, will probably not see the need for another such game, but it might just be just what I need to get my zombie hoard on to the table top.

I suppose I should briefly mention the other Kickstarter that arrived before the half term break, Conan!  After backing this back in February 2015, this massive game finally arrived and I have to be honest that I was completely stunned by it.  The sheer scale of the game and the amazing amount of stretch goals meant that there was a little more than the usual raised eyebrow when the 'Saintly Mrs. Awdry' spied me trying to sneak this into the house!  Having had a good look, I have decided to pack this up and have a look after Christmas when I hopefully have a little more time.

A quick comparison shot with some Zombicide miniatures.

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55 comments:

  1. That is a lot of painting to do!! I have to day that the Walking Dead figs look really good! I'm a big fan of the comics (and the show) and it's really nice to see such great comic-based figs!

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    1. Far too much if the truth be told and like you I was really pleased to see the comic characters come to life.

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  2. Ah nice. I was very tempted by the Walking Dead one, but I've been burnt too many times on Mantic kickstarters so decided to give it a miss. I did back Conan though and that one is stunning. Some weaker models, but on the whole very nice indeed. You will be pleased when you open up the boxes

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    1. I was worried about this one, but all seems as it should be at the moment. I will get to Conan at some point, but goodness knows when!

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  3. Looks exciting.....and a lot of work!

    Christopher

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  4. Thank You very much for a review sir! a lot of painting hours here!

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  5. Mr Awdry ... your guilty pleasure strikes once more. You must have oodles of goodies to paint !

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  6. I await your opinions Ref painting both Conan and TWD, Sir Awdry, as your opinion could well tip my hand as to which way to go :-)

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    1. You might have to wait a bit for the Conan review, but really impressed at the look of the Walking Dead miniatures.

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  7. Very nice arrivals - looks like Zombtober 17 is sorted then!

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    1. Did you see the great Japanese zombies currently on sale?
      http://www.companyb.biz

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    2. Zomtober 17, 18 and probably 19! Now I want Japanese zombies, thank you Paul!

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  8. Thats a lot of plastic crack!!!! Step away from the kickstarters!

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    1. That doesn't sound like a sensible option. Just think of all that free plastic that will be missed out on

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    2. It is the fear of missing out, definitely a curse! :)

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  9. Spiffin Sir absolutely spiffing! (Trying VERY hard not to get distracted!)

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  10. Very impressive - looking forward for the outcome of this tremendous endeavour...!!! Cheers!

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  11. You are going to be busy for a long time 😀

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  12. Lots and lots of lovely plastic for you to paint. How long is that going to keep you busy before you get to game with them all finished?

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    1. I think we may have to commit the ultimate sin and have a couple of games unpainted otherwise we could be waiting a seriously long time!

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  13. Quit the batch of delicious new toys you have there!

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  14. Wonderful! Just the ticket to fill in a few hours with a brush.

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  15. Lovely! Another KS I wish I'd backed

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    1. I have a sneaky feeling that they will try for another one, I hope not, because having realised the collection I would have thought Mantic would be able to develop it themselves.

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  16. Those are some amazing and unique sculpts!

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  17. After seeing these pictures i regret not backing this project when it was present on kickstarter.
    Vehicles and models look very nice. Can`t wait to see how you paint them.

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    1. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the sculpts and the materials that were used, I just need to have a go at painting some now.

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  18. Great kickstarter to have been part of.

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    1. I was really tempted to go for the lot, but couldn't justify it. If I get on with the game then maybe I will pick up the expansions.

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  19. Well, you're right: as an ATZ player I don't really see the need for this new game. Apart from the hordes of beautiful miniatures and the possibility of attracting new players and so on :-) !

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    1. Well that is a very good point and certainly made me feel better about my decision, thank you.

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  20. I went for the next level up, Something To Fear, so I have to wait another week or so for my toys, but it looks like it will be well worth the wait!

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    1. I was so tempted, but decided to see how I got on with the game, I think I am going to regret my decision!

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  21. They're very nice sculpts Sir M!

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    1. I was certainly really impressed Ray, lots of fun to be had.

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  22. HAHHA Michael! I HATE YOU! In a good way of course...there you go getting 2 more of the same Kickstarter's I also backed. Sometimes I think you folks enjoy tormenting us Colonials Across the Pond with delayed Kickstarter's

    To be fair, when these do arrive, I will likely be setting them aside with the many others to try & focus on at least the core box of Black Plaque & Frostgrave. Thanks for the quick first impression's & look

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    1. Thank you Terry, I think. :D
      Here's hoping your pledges arrive soon.

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  23. Ooh, that Conan KS looks amazing. One of the guys in our group was in on the fun so I expect we'll be playing it soon.

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    1. I have a feeling that you will end up playing it before me Curt.

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  24. That Mantic stuff doesn't look too shabby! Would you mind taking a comparison pic alongside some Zombicide miniatures?

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    1. Hi Nick, just to say that I have posted up a comparison shot, as yu will see they are a pretty good match.

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  25. An impressive pile of plastic. That's a splendid collection of games, Sir.

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  26. I got so sick of the soap-opera style that the series fell into, that I stopped watching after about the 2nd or 3rd season. Just pales so badly in comparison to the infinitely superior story-lines (And characters) in the comics.

    The game pieces though look pretty top notch. Mantic have released some post KS sets of the game for presale or something and I almost cracked. Almost. :)

    Conan.... I seem to remember that one. Look forward to reading what you have to say on it.

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  27. This is such an awesome looking set. :) Damn my near worthless currency which is dropping so bad that such sets are no longer affordable to me. :(

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